Who are the most interesting people in the rum industry? It’s not an easy question to answer, of course. At Rum Journal, our chief mission is to raise the level of conversation about rum to the way people around the world treat fine wine or other spirits. And so to answer this question, we focused on one primary definition of interesting: that is, who are the people who are helping to showcase the beauty, romance and wonder of rum — and doing their part to raise the global interest level in the Caribbean’s signature spirit? These are our picks for the inaugural Most Interesting People in Rum list.

Lorena Vasquez

Vasquez is the master blender of the now world-famous Ron Zacapa, a rum which has done as much as any to help raise the profile and esteem of rum around the world. Indeed, when many mention top-shelf rum, Zacapa is the first they name — and Vasquez’s blending talent is a big reason for that.